Skip to main content
Log in

Gender Identity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder in a 23-Year-Old Female

  • Clinical Case Report Series
  • Published:
Archives of Sexual Behavior Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We describe the case of a 23-year-old woman with Gender Identity Disorder (GID) asking for a cross-sex hormonal treatment with sex reassignment surgery and who was recently diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Gender identity clinics are now reporting an overrepresentation of individuals with ASD among GID patients. The prevalence of ASD is 10-fold higher among GID patients than in general population. However, few case reports or studies have explored the co-occurrence of ASD and GID. This co-occurrence is relevant for diagnostic and clinical management and also raises important theoretical issues.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text rev.). Washington, DC: Author. doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890423349.

  • Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network Surveillance Year 2008 Principal Investigators. (2012). Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders—Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 14 sites, United States, 2008. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Surveillance Summaries, 61(3), 1–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Auyeung, B., Baron-Cohen, S., Ashwin, E., Knickmeyer, R., Taylor, K., & Hackett, G. (2009). Fetal testosterone and autistic traits. British Journal of Psychology, 100, 1–22. doi:10.1348/000712608X311731.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • De Cuypere, G., Van Hemelrijck, M., Michel, A., Carael, B., Heylens, G., Rubens, R., … Monstrey, S. (2007). Prevalence and demography of transsexualism in Belgium. European Psychiatry, 22, 137–141. doi:10.1016/j.eurpsy.2006.10.002.

  • de Vries, A. L. C., Noens, I. L. J., Cohen-Kettenis, P. T., van Berckelaer-Onnes, I. A., & Doreleijers, T. A. (2010). Autism spectrum disorders in gender dysphoric children and adolescents. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 40, 930–936. doi:10.1007/s10803-010-0935-9.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fleta Zaragozano, J., Zapata Usábel, M., López Moreno, M. J., & Olivares López, J. L. (2005). Síndrome de Asperger asociado a macrosomía y trastorno de identidad sexual [Asperger syndrome associated with macrosomia and sexual identity disorder]. Anales de Pediatría, 63, 366–368. doi:10.1157/13079820.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fombonne, E. (2005). Epidemiology of autistic disorder and other pervasive developmental disorders. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 66(Suppl. 10), 3–8.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fombonne, E. (2009). Epidemiology of pervasive developmental disorders. Pediatric Research, 65, 591–598. doi:10.1203/PDR.0b013e31819e7203.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gallucci, G., Hackerman, F., & Schmidt, C. W. (2005). Gender identity disorder in an adult male with Asperger’s syndrome. Sexuality and Disability, 23, 35–40. doi:10.1007/s11195-004-2078-4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, R. M., Wheelwright, S., Farrell, K., Martin, E., Green, R., Di Ceglie, D., et al. (2012). Female-to-male transsexual people and autistic traits. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42, 301–306. doi:10.1007/s10803-011-1227-8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kraemer, B., Delsignore, A., Gundelfinger, R., Schnyder, U., & Hepp, U. (2005). Comorbidity of Asperger syndrome and gender identity disorder. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 14, 292–296. doi:10.1007/s00787-005-0469-4.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Landén, M., & Rasmussen, P. (1997). Gender identity disorder in a girl with autism—A case report. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 6, 170–173. doi:10.1007/BF00538990.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lord, C., Risi, S., Lambrecht, L., Cook, E. H., Leventhal, B. L., DiLavore, P. C., … Rutter, M. (2000). The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-generic: A standard measure of social and communication deficits associated with the spectrum of autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 30, 205–223.

  • Lord, C., Rutter, M., & Le Couteur, A. (1994). Autism diagnostic interview-revised: A revised version of a diagnostic interview for caregivers of individuals with possible pervasive developmental disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 24, 659–685. doi:10.1007/BF02172145.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mukaddes, N. M. (2002). Gender identity problems in autistic children. Child: Care, Health and Development, 28, 529–532. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2214.2002.00301.x.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perera, H., Gadambanathan, T., & Weerasiri, S. (2003). Gender identity disorder presenting in a girl with Asperger’s disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder. Ceylon Medical Journal, 48, 57–58. doi:10.4038/cmj.v48i2.3374.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reed, B., Rhodes, S., Schofield, P., & Wylie, K. (2009). Gender variance in the UK: Prevalence, incidence, growth and geographic distribution. Gender Identity Research and Education Society. Retrieved March 17, 2013 from http://www.gires.org.uk/assets/Medpro-Assets/GenderVarianceUK-report.pdf.

  • Schopler, E., Reichler, R. J., DeVellis, R. F., & Daly, K. (1980). Toward objective classification of childhood autism: Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS). Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 10, 91–103. doi:10.1007/BF02408436.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tateno, M., Tateno, Y., & Saito, T. (2008). Comorbid childhood gender identity disorder in a boy with Asperger syndrome [Letter to the Editor]. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 62, 238. doi:10.1111/j.1440-1819.2008.01761.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, P. G., Allard, A. M., & Sears, L. (1996). Case study: Cross-gender preoccupations with two male children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 26, 635–642. doi:10.1007/BF02172352.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wood, H., Sasaki, S., Bradley, S. J., Singh, D., Fantus, S., Owen-Anderson, A., … Zucker, K. J. (2013). Patterns of referral to a gender identity service for children and adolescents (1976–2011): Age, sex ratio, and sexual orientation [Letter to the Editor]. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 39, 1–6. doi:10.1080/0092623X.2012.675022.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zucker, K. J., Bradley, S. J., Owen-Anderson, A., Kibblewhite, S. J., & Cantor, J. M. (2008). Is gender identity disorder in adolescents coming out of the closet? [Letter to the Editor]. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 34, 287–290. doi:10.1080/00926230802096192.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mathieu Lemaire.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Lemaire, M., Thomazeau, B. & Bonnet-Brilhault, F. Gender Identity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder in a 23-Year-Old Female. Arch Sex Behav 43, 395–398 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-013-0141-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-013-0141-x

Keywords

Navigation